So Much to Do, So Much Time (Day 446)

3:00am - I'm now going to start adding timestamps to my posts, mostly to make it easier for me to tell which days are accounted for, since I sometimes post after midnight.

I'm really impressed at the amount of progress I've made recently. I shortened my Franziska outer vest / cape thing (after five months or so, I still don't know what to call it), and I'm almost finished sewing it back up. The bottom of it is sewed except for about eight inches, where I had to turn it inside-out to sew the lining on and now have to close with hand-stitching. I had to open small holes in the top of the front so that I could get the yellow ribbon off to move up and reapply it after shortening.

I have to reapply the ribbon before I can finished sewing it, because I have to sew it into the top of the front (where I took it out before), and to do that, I have to be able to turn the whole thing inside-out, which is why the bottom has to stay open. I ran into to small hitch in the plans when reapplying the ribbon, the bottom of the vest is now shorter across (because it basically fans out at the bottom, similar to a cape or poofy dress without pleats). So when I went to reapply the ribbon, it took less across the bottom and folded at the corner sooner than I expected, which left a crease in the middle of the vertical stripe and the remains of the previously used Heat-n-Bond visible. I ironed off the leftover Heat-n-Bond, which, yes, made my iron sticky (I wiped most of the stickiness on the ironing board for now), and the rest was fine.

I kept getting distracted by the computer, though, so I stopped applying the ribbon and turned everything off so that I wouldn't get too tired and forget.

Also, I cut my thumb! With scissors! And it hurt! (duh?) Not sure what exactly happened, but I guess I snipped the skin on my thumb with the tip of the scissors. Weird thing is, I laughed at myself for about a minute before getting up to get a bandage. At least I know what an idiot I am for cutting myself. Also, I think the worst part is that it was with my fabric scissors, which I only use on fabric to avoid the blade getting dull, and now I feel like I have to get new scissors. Ah, well, I've also accidentally cut paper with them (the paper was hiding under the fabric), so I'm probably due for some new ones anyway. But first, pinking shears! I need them! I'm looking at this pair, they're nice and cheap. I just hope they work.

(For those who are unfamiliar with the term, pinking shears are a type of scissor that cuts fabric in a zig-zag pattern so that the edges don't fray. They're most commonly used for sheer fabric, but can used on pretty much any fabric. An overlock machine / surger, which I have, could substitute, but personally I'd rather not use an overlock on something that's going to be on the inside of a garment, as in, inside of the lining, and won't ever been seen. Plus, overlocking a bunch of stuff would add unnecessary weight, which probably wouldn't be too noticeable, but could add unwanted bulk to areas that should be flat.)

So all that's left to do for my Franziska costume before AOD is finish adding the yellow to the vest and sew it up and straightening my wig. When I bought the wig, it was relatively straight, but from sitting on a normal/short wig head, it's curled under and inward. I don't know much about the wig, having bought it hurriedly in the Dealer's Hall of Fanime and not getting any instructions with it (they barely sold it to me, were reluctant to take it off of the display). So I'm going to try straightening it with hot water. I'm told that you dip it in hot water ("hot" meaning burns to the touch, but not simmering or boiling), and then lay it on a flat surface. I figure the best place to do this would be in my bathtub, with a bucket for the water, and then laying it on the bottom of the tub, but my bathtub's kinda, well, not dirty ('cause, well, it's a bathtub), but it's got soap scum and stuff in it, so I have to clean it and then make sure that all of the chemicals are rinsed off before I'll be willing to put my wig anywhere near there.

READ MORE - So Much to Do, So Much Time (Day 446)

Ahead of Schedule!? (Day 442)

I'm not entirely sure that the phrase "ahead of schedule" is in my vocabulary, and yet it's true. Since I finally decided that I'm going to wear Franziska to AOD, I actually started fixing her up. I needed to make a new neck ruffle because the one I had was too big and flawed in various technical ways, and I need to shorten the outer vest by about two to four inches. Shortening the vest shouldn't be a problem, since I'll just be opening up the bottom and re-sewing it. Now, if I had to re-do the arm holes or something, I might have a problem, but, nah.

Today, I began remaking the neck ruffle. I got as far as pleating and poofing the actual ruffle part and cutting out and hemming two sides of the part that goes around my neck. Throughout the process, I was reminded of how much I hate pleating, especially box pleats that are only two inches wide on a piece of fabric that just refuses to be a perfect square.

I also used a different type of fabric this time than I did last time. Last time, I used this lovely fabric that creased like paper, yet ironed out really well, and was rather stiff. It was sort of a cop-out to get the volume that I wanted. This time, after wearing the cosplay and seeing photos, I realized that it didn't need that much volume. So I returned to what was actually my original fabric for it. I found it in the section of JoAnn's where the fabric for suits is (the fabric I used for Franziska's vests), so it also mixes well with the fabrics I have and just makes sense.

I like the texture and weight of this fabric a whole lot more too, but it's a pain to work with. It's somewhat stretchy, so when I pinned it down to the ironing board to measure or iron it, I needed a bunch of pins, and yet it was still nearly impossible to get straight lines (which is how it refused to be square). It's also sort of slippery and clingy at the same time. It would slip against my fingers, but then cling to itself and it was hard to get it to fold the right way. It also didn't like the iron and doesn't crease easily. Yet once it does get a crease, it's hard to get it out.

I'm fairly certain that I'll be able to finish both the collar and the vest in two days' time, the only thing that's left to be determined is what two days I'll actually work on it. Then all that's left is to continue the hunt for a brown riding crop and black leather women's gloves. I actually found a brown riding crop online for only $5 (forget what shipping was), but I'm very suspicious of it, since their usually between $25 and $50.

READ MORE - Ahead of Schedule!? (Day 442)

Franziska Jacket (Day 305)

Now, I suppose I can't really call Franziska's jacket a jacket because it has no sleeves. What it really is is a redundantly long vest. Because, really, who needs a vest that goes down to their knees? And why?

Anyway, I finished the lining for the long vest, and worked on a lot of the outer part. I sewed together the pieces except for the shoulders, and I added the yellow around the sides and bottom. I'm using thin yellow ribbon and no-sew iron-on seams. I prefer the iron-on seams because, well, you can't see any thread.. Because there isn't any! It just looks cleaner to me and you don't have to worry about the edges sticking up. But I ran out of yellow ribbon! I'm going to JoAnn's tomorrow to get more ribbon to add around the arm holes because sewing everything together. I figured it would be easier to iron on the yellow while the fabric was flat, though around the sides and bottom, it didn't really matter and I ended up sewing the pieces together before I could finish.

It's funny, putting the ribbon on the vest really reminded me of when I helped my mom make my Riza Hawkeye (FMA) costume. Probably because I was using the same yellow ribbon and applying it the same way on a similarly-colored fabric. I was actually thinking about working on that cosplay again, fixing it up and buying a wig, but I don't have the money, or anywhere to wear it, so I don't know.

I'm a little concerned about my Franziska wig, I left the bobby pin in overnight to hold the bangs up. I was hoping that I could just leave it in until the con so that it would be pretty stable the day of the con, but it seems like the weight of the pin pushed it down more than the pin actually held it up. I repositioned it and am going to check on it again tomorrow. If it holds up, I'm going to take it out during the day and see how long it holds up without the pin, to see if the bangs will last a day at a con.

I would also like to correct yesterday's post, I said that I learned to hang the wig upside-down from the Cosplay.com forums, but I remembered later (as I was trying to fall asleep) that I actually learned that trick from a ridiculously good Hiei cosplayer at Fanime. My boyfriend and I were in the elevator with her and I noticed her ridiculously amazing wig and complimented her on it and asked how she styled it to be so perfect. She said she hung it upside-down and gelled it and let it dry overnight. I really wig I could find her again to link to her from here, that wig really is worth seeing.

Also, an update on my friend's Lolita Pokemon cosplay. She decided that she doesn't want to do it. I had previously warned her that she may have to pay for fabric, but when I reconfirmed this today, she said she'd just rather not at all because she isn't in the position to be spending money. Would it be wrong of me to make the cosplay (or even just the Lolita outfit) for myself after I refused to pay the full amount to make it for her? I'm in love with the design and would really like to see it happen, but if I made it, I'd be wearing it the day she was supposed to wear it. My only argument is that she's bigger than me (as is everyone over the age of 12 >_<) and it would've taken more fabric and more money to make it for her. Ugh, I don't know what to do. =[

I'm not sure if I've done this yet, but I've figured out my costume schedule for Fanime already. I'm pretty dead-set on this one, especially since I only have three new costumes to make for it (one for me and two for my boyfriend), and one is super ridiculously easy. The only issue is that the other two are in a completely new territory for me, I have almost no idea how I'm going to make over half of them. *sigh* Anyway, this is what it looks like:
Thursday - *Secret Cosplays*, Friday - Pikachu(Me) & Ashchu (Bf), Saturday - *Secret Cosplays* (again), Sunday - Chi(Me) & Hideki(Bf), Monday - None
If all goes according to plan and I finish the secret cosplays, the only things that may change are the costume for Sunday, we may do something else during the day and save Chi and Hideki exclusively for the Black & White Ball, and then maybe we'll cosplay something simple on Monday.

READ MORE - Franziska Jacket (Day 305)

Franziska's Vest (Days 247 & 248)

So I'm already almost finished with Franziska's vest after only a few days of work =] In all seriousness, no, it's not perfect, but it's pretty damn close. It just doesn't fit 100% perfectly, heh. However, the lines on the hems and everything somehow fall in the exact places that they should, so I'm not going to mess with it.

I, being how I am, did not want to make four buttonholes , partially because I don't trust my machine's buttonholing function, so instead, I ended up sewing on nine, counth then, nine snaps instead. Yeah... Still debating whether or not that was worth it...

Tomorrow, or most likely Monday, I'd like to make the buttons and glue them on. Yeah, I'm gluing buttons on. Because I used snaps instead of buttonholes. Because my machine scares me (as it probably mad at me >_>).

ALSO! I'll be going to the NorCal Summer Picnic on June 19th! If you're going, keep a lookout for me! =D I decided to go as Chi from Chobits and drag my boyfriend along as Hideki =D Hoping for some good photos of those costumes still, otherwise I'd be going as Pikachu. =/

READ MORE - Franziska's Vest (Days 247 & 248)